Ousted staffer blames Marles for alleged office bullying, wants him to say sorry

A defence against the claims has not been filed and the claims are untested.

Speaking to this masthead, Tarnawsky said she was willing to talk with the government about finding a resolution to the bitter public dispute but wanted to see a form of accountability.

“Ultimately, it is up to the prime minister to take responsibility and to hold the deputy prime minister to account,” she said.

Tarnawsky referred to a letter she wrote to the prime minister last month, outlining options she wanted him to explore.

These included issuing an apology that “acknowledges that the way I have been treated has fallen short of the standards”, referring Marles to the Independent Parliamentary Standards Commission or reviewing Marles’ position as chair of the government staffing committee.

“We’re open to discussions with the government, but we’re also prepared to go all the way [legally] if we need to,” she said.

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At a press conference in Parliament House on Monday, a visibly shaking Tarnawsky said she had been forced to wait 200 days without a resolution since she last worked as chief of staff.

“The government has been afforded multiple opportunities to rectify the wrongs done to me, but it has done nothing except duck and cover, collude and delay,” she said.

Tarnawsky is suing for hurt, distress, humiliation and damage to her health and reputation.

Tarnawsky’s lawyers – solicitor Michael Bradley and barrister Rebecca Davern – claim under the Fair Work Act that Marles, Gartrell and the Commonwealth engaged in adverse action against the staffer by effectively pushing her out of her role.

Tarnawsky claims she told Marles in April that she was being bullied. He responded that he valued her and would discuss the issue that day, but the pair agreed to postpone the discussion, Tarnawsky alleges. Then in another call, Tarnawsky claims, he said the situation was not “fixable” and she would have to leave “with dignity”.

Hanns, the deputy prime minister’s office and the prime minister’s office were contacted for comment, with an Albanese government spokesperson responding: “This matter is subject to legal proceedings, and it would not be appropriate to comment further.”

After returning from leave in May, Tarnawsky alleges she was informed by another government employee that Gartrell and Marles had decided she should take an inferior job outside the deputy prime minister’s office. She was restricted from entering her old office without 24 hours’ notice, Tarnawsky alleges.

But Tarnawsky was allowed back to parliament for the week of the 2024 budget, which was held on May 14, where she was to network in the hopes of finding a new job that would give her what Gartrell allegedly described as “agency” in her “story about leaving”.

Tarnawsky met with Marles and Gartrell in Parliament House on May 16 where she claims the minister allegedly told her to take half a year of leave “off the books”. Tarnawsky did not agree to the proposal that would have cost the taxpayer $135,000 for no work.

Tarnawsky claimed that by August, she was effectively removed from her role after another person began acting as chief of staff, moved into her old office, and her office group chats became inactive.

Marles himself is not accused of bullying Tarnawsky – a former diplomat – and she claims he had never raised issues about her performance in the most senior role in his office.

Tarnawsky previously said the Parliamentary Workplace Support Service was briefing lawyers to deal with her after she engaged her own lawyers to access more counselling services.

Marles has previously said he had worked to support Tarnawsky’s wellbeing and that of his other staff as he managed the situation. “She has given me great service, and I remain deeply grateful for that,” Marles said.